The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connector systems.
Some electrical connector systems utilize mating electrical connectors to interconnect two circuit boards, such as a motherboard and daughter card. In order to vary the mated distances between the two circuit boards, such as due to space constraints in an electronic device, at least one of the mating electrical connectors may include multiple housing members stacked on top of one another between a mounting end and a mating end. The conductors of this stacked electrical connector are terminated to one circuit board and extend through the housing members towards the mating end to engage mating conductors of the mating connector terminated to the other circuit board.
Some known electrical connectors with stacked housing members have structural problems. More specifically, some such electrical connectors do not sufficiently retain the respective conductors within the housing members. The conductors may fall out of the housing members, such as during shipment of the connectors, when mating and unmating the electrical connector relative to a mating connector, and/or when mounting and removing the electrical connector relative to a circuit board. Additionally, some such electrical connectors have issues securing the housing members to one another. The housing members may undesirably separate from one another when unmating the electrical connector from the mating connector and/or when removing the electrical connector from the circuit board to which the connector is mounted. Typically, the housing members include complementary interference features at interfacing surfaces to align and hold adjacent housing members together. The interference features may include protrusions, pegs, or posts that are received in complementary grooves or holes, barbs, and the like. But, such interference features typically have low retention forces that are not able to withstand the forces applied on the housing members that pull the housing members apart from one another. To increase the retention forces, additional fasteners and/or adhesives may be applied at the interfaces, but such measures undesirably increase assembly time, complexity, and costs.
A need remains for reliably securing together multiple housing members of an electrical connector and for reliably retaining electrical conductors within the housing members of the electrical connector.